~~~~
“Attention, Renegade confirmed in
your area. All citizens report any suspicious activity,” the robotic voice
echoed throughout the city neighborhood. “Remember, inaction is treason.”
“Just my luck,” she commented as she
ran into the dry canal and ducked into a large drain. “I was only up there for
a minute, how’d they confirm me so quickly?” The renegade wondered. “Oh, shi-”
She held her breath when she heard nearby footsteps.
The heavy thump of boots on the
payment above her filled the area. She could barely hear muffled chatter. Only
being able to make out the word “renegade” repeated over and over again. The
renegade quickly climbed further into the drain as the sounds grew closer.
‘Back to life as a rat,’ she groaned
internally as she found her way into am abandoned sewer. The renegade plugged
her nose as a rancid odor assaulted her senses. ‘Dear God, I hope there’s
nothing toxic in here,’ she hoped, ‘On the bright side if there is, they
probably won’t come this way.’
The renegade slipped through the
narrow halls. She tried her best to avoid the many unknown substances that
clung to the walls and floor. At the very least, it was quiet, aside from a
strange gurgling sound. She didn’t know what to make of the bizarre noise.
Frankly, she had no interest in determining what it was, so she avoided it.
‘I wonder how long it’ll take them
to give up this time?’ The renegade thought, ‘If I’m lucky, they’ll think I
escaped to another sector. Wait, what’s that sound?’ The gurgling sound was
drowned out by a new noise. It was low and droning and had an uneven pattern.
Whatever the sound was, it came from up ahead.
‘Do I turn back?’ She considered. ‘I
could be walking into a trap, but for all I know, they’ve already got a squad
down here looking for me.’ The renegade paused for a moment but came to a
conclusion quickly. ‘Running back isn’t going to get me anywhere, time to take
a chance,’ she pushed on forward.
As the sound grew louder and
clearer, she slowly realized what it was. It was an alarm, blaring across the
entire neighborhood. The sound was accompanied by more announcements from the
robotic voice. Both leaked into the sewers through a sewer grate.
“For your own safety, report all
suspicious activity. Aiding and abetting Renegades will not be tolerated,” the
voice repeated on a loop.
‘I guess that answers my question,’
the renegade sighed. She hastily jogged past the source of the sound and
crawled deeper into the sewer. The route was far from pleasant, but she
eventually found herself at a large outflow pipe. It was more than large enough
for her to move through; however, it lead outside the city and hung about 100 feet
over a nearby river. ‘Not my first choice,’ she commented and turned back into
the sewer.
She crawled back through the sewer
and found a route that took her back into the city. The renegade popped out of
a manhole in the back of a forgotten road. She was surrounded by crumbling
buildings on all sides. It appeared quiet and empty, so she began to approach
the nearest building that seemed stable.
However, as the renegade stepped
closer, she stopped dead in her tracks. In the window of the building she moved
towards, she could see several people huddled inside, and they saw her. The
renegade put a finger up to her lips to shush them, but one of the people still
ran away, screaming, “Renegade.”
She turned and sprinted back for the
manhole as the once-quiet back road was surrounded by what sounded like an
army’s approach. The renegade hopped back inside the sewer right as the sound
of footsteps rounded the corner. She dashed through the sewers, a particular
destination in mind, as the thump of boots entered the sewers.
The renegade returned to the outflow
pipe, desperate and out of options. She took another peek at the long fall,
uncertain of her chances or what might reside in the river below. However, the
relentless sound of people approaching convinced her to go through with it.
With hesitation, she jumped off the edge. She could hear the sound of missed
gunshot above her as she fell down into the river below.
~~~~
No one will want to help you out of fear for their own safety. The law will be on your tail. The world will be your enemy. Thus is the life of a renegade.Pretentious attempts at proverbs aside, you could consider this story part of the GRID stories, but it mostly stands on its own.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy
~~~~
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